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13 July 2015

More Collared Kingfishers - Amaq Lagoons

After seeing Collared Kingfisher, a bird restricted to the mangrove patches in the southwest of the Kingdom, at Al Qahma and Either Mangroves, I decided to go north past Al Birk and look at a site near Amaq. Here there are two large lagoons surrounded by mangroves and both looked good for the species. One lagoon is south of Amaq and the other north and both sites held birds with a minimum of two seen at each location. Although the species is restricted in habitat and area of Saudi Aramco they appear plentiful in the area they do occur in which is great news. Most birders go the the same couple of sites to see the species and this two new sites plus Either Mangorves have extended the species range and known locations. The northern site is fenced off and no access is currently possible from the main road, but if you backtrack to the south lagoon and use the coastguard track you can enter the location through an open gate into the fenced area. The locations also held a few Greater Flamingos, Pink-backed Pelicans and various waders including Crab Plover, Lesser Sand Plovers and Common Redshanks. Terns seen included Caspian Terns, Gull-billed Terns, Lesser Crested Terns and two Swift Terns.
Collared Kingfisher
Collared Kingfisher
Collared Kingfisher
Collared Kingfisher
Collared Kingfisher
Collared Kingfisher
Collared Kingfisher
Collared Kingfisher
Greater Flamingo
Greater Flamingo
Lesser Crested Tern
Lesser Crested Tern
Pink-backed Pelican
Pink-backed Pelican